This morning was not good. I woke up feeling tired and a little defeated. After weeks of tossing and turning with sore shoulders and neck, my tiredness is getting overwhelming. The enemy has also been messing with my sleep, waking me up in the dead of night, and making my dreams busy and exhausting. The last few days have been full of doubts. Our world is getting so messed up, and I was starting to wonder about the Word of God…”what if” questions popping up constantly. I was ready to “check out” for the day. Nothing sounded better than curling up with some fiction, and a cup of tea. I can read the Word tomorrow. I’m sure Jesus understands?
But, I couldn’t do it. Something inside of me just said, “a few minutes with Jesus is what you need…then check out for the day”. Alrighty then. Let’s get out the devotional and see what I get out of it.
Well…this is what pops up…
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT)
WOW!!
Nothing like the straight Word…reminding me that this is a fight!!! A daily fight. I need the Word of God lodged deep inside of me so that I can make it through another day. Otherwise that slippery, gradual slope downwards starts. Just a little bit lower every day. A few more doubts. A few more steps away from Jesus. I have to stand my ground, and put on the belt of truth.
His Word is solid.
There can be no doubts.
“Stay alert”!! What does that mean? For me it means that I have to guard my heart. Watch what I believe. Study the Word of God, it never changes. If we start to doubt certain parts of the Bible, how can we trust any of it? Truth isn’t something that we can just pick and choose according to what we want to justify. Any belief system can be supported by using the Bible, if one just cherry picks the verses that they want to believe. But, in reality, that isn’t the whole truth. The Word of God is the whole truth. I can’t take some verses here and there just to make my life easier. That isn’t faith, that’s pride. Pride in thinking I know better than God.
We are being inundated right now. The media, and some church groups, are bombarding us with all kinds of new “truths”. It’s easy to get swayed, after all we are conditioned to believe what we see on TV, or on the internet…as long as it comes from a “reputable” source. But, we need to guard our hearts, and the only way to do it is by knowing the Word of God.
ALL the answers are in there. Even the uncomfortable ones. We don’t need to fight tomorrow’s fight. Just read enough, and pray enough, to make it through another day.
He has the answers.
He gives peace.
He is full of love and protection.
He is taking care of all of us.
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34 NLT)
Keep praying! 🙂